STORRS, Conn. — An outstanding season that guaranteed the UConn men’s basketball team its third-straight NCAA Tournament bid culminated with a No. 4 seed in a loaded West Region.
This is the highest seed the Huskies have earned since they won the 2011 National Championship as a No. 3 seed.
On Sunday - aptly named Selection Sunday - it was revealed that the Huskies would meet Rick Pitino and No. 13 Iona for the first-round game of the tournament. They will play at the MVP Arena in Albany on Friday, March 17.
"I played in the Sweet 16 against Duke and I played in it almost every year as a player," said head coach Dan Hurley. "I want to coach in it. And that's really the only reason why I applied for the job at Wagner. Now coaching here as a four-seed and having such a great year, it's a dream come true for a coach to coach in this thing and to have a team that has the quality that could advance."
If the Huskies come on top, they will play the winner of the No. 5 Saint Mary’s and No. 12 VCU matchup on Sunday.
The West Region holds its Elite Eight and Sweet 16 round in Las Vegas.
This marks UConn’s third-straight bid in the NCAA Tournament. The last time this happened was 17 years ago when they went five straight from 2002-06.
The team has not won an NCAA Tournament game under Hurley. They crashed out against Maryland in 2021 and against New Mexico State in 2022.
The West Region is loaded this year. It includes No. 1-seeded Kansas, No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 Gonzaga.
UConn is one of five Big East teams to earn a bid this year, along with Marquette, Xavier, Creighton and Providence.
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